"Most worlds are dangerous, depending on where you're at on the food chain," Jigano said with a slight smile, finding Quanil's innocent enthusiasm unexpectedly soothing to his own grief and guilt. "But three hundred years is not so long in the grand scheme of things. There are Fae whose grandparents remember a time before the barrier, after all. One way to find out what life before the barrier was like would be to ask for the records from the Greatwood or Halo." He paused, then raised a cautionary finger. "Though not everyone will want to answer questions right away. Tread lightly and respectfully with the Fae, and let them set the pace. We've been working to build a bridge between our peoples for a year now, but between the Ascended and the Blight things have not gone smoothly. They have good reason to not trust outsiders, so answers from them require patience and diplomacy." He offered his young guest a gentler smile. "Those from Halo, though, might be more amenable." They could be standoffish in their own way, but then there was Ingrid who... well. Give her a bottle of rum and an eggplant and she'd answer questions until the bottle went dry.
Hearing Loreseekers described as 'heroes' when they'd been such failures at stopping the havoc at the festival brought a sad smile to his lips. "Reading and writing are not so common as all that," he said gently. "And the curiosity to look beyond the bounds of tradition is rarer still. If you come to us with a genuine desire to learn and help others, that's all you need to get started. The rest will come with time," he added, considering Quanil's probable age with a flicker of wry humor in spite of the weight he was carrying from the festival. "Studying is a good place to begin. We're always happy to have those willing to copy texts, though it's not something required. And we all take our turns sweeping," he added, his smile emerging a little further.
'Everything' would take quite a while, and reminded him a little of poor Peter Launceleyn, trapped in a family that would use him as a weapon or a tool. Quanil was free to join them, however, and he hummed thoughtfully as the kettle began to sing. He shifted to pull it off the hob and prepare the tea in the pot, adding the hot water to a mix that smelled of apples and cinnamon. "For the first few weeks is there something you'd like to focus on, or at least start with?" he asked as he pondered. "Perhaps two or three subjects you'd like to master while you pursue the rest?" Linguistics had been a damn useful skill on his world, but so far proved far less used here. The Fae had their own language, but it wasn't one they had been inclined to share so far, and thanks to the portals that had once linked the entire continent, it seemed as though everyone they'd met so far all spoke the same language, even after three hundred years of isolation. The linguistics book had probably come from a past Outlander, but they did need someone in the guild besides him to specialize in collecting Outlanders's tales...
Hearing Loreseekers described as 'heroes' when they'd been such failures at stopping the havoc at the festival brought a sad smile to his lips. "Reading and writing are not so common as all that," he said gently. "And the curiosity to look beyond the bounds of tradition is rarer still. If you come to us with a genuine desire to learn and help others, that's all you need to get started. The rest will come with time," he added, considering Quanil's probable age with a flicker of wry humor in spite of the weight he was carrying from the festival. "Studying is a good place to begin. We're always happy to have those willing to copy texts, though it's not something required. And we all take our turns sweeping," he added, his smile emerging a little further.
'Everything' would take quite a while, and reminded him a little of poor Peter Launceleyn, trapped in a family that would use him as a weapon or a tool. Quanil was free to join them, however, and he hummed thoughtfully as the kettle began to sing. He shifted to pull it off the hob and prepare the tea in the pot, adding the hot water to a mix that smelled of apples and cinnamon. "For the first few weeks is there something you'd like to focus on, or at least start with?" he asked as he pondered. "Perhaps two or three subjects you'd like to master while you pursue the rest?" Linguistics had been a damn useful skill on his world, but so far proved far less used here. The Fae had their own language, but it wasn't one they had been inclined to share so far, and thanks to the portals that had once linked the entire continent, it seemed as though everyone they'd met so far all spoke the same language, even after three hundred years of isolation. The linguistics book had probably come from a past Outlander, but they did need someone in the guild besides him to specialize in collecting Outlanders's tales...
